Professor Layton and the End
by Clockwork Boundary
Summary: After Bill Hawks's return to power, all of England has been plunged into chaos and the professor is caught in the middle of it. Is this end? (I am accepting OCs and ideas from reviewers to be put into the story. Power to the reviewer!) Also my sorry gift for all you people who were sad that I was leaving before. Rated T for now. Formerly Nanai the Ninja/Katarina West
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: guess who is starting a new prof. Layton fanfic? Me! For this one, all the power is going to you lovely reviewers! That's right guys. I want OCs, I want plot twists, I want requests, I want everything you guys have to offer me! I know that most of my old buddies aren't active on this site anymore so it's a shame I can't write their OCs for them anymore, but I would love to write whatever you guys want me to. Please review or pm me with any ideas or OCs you have that you would like to see. I already have my debut OC, Katarina.**

**Now let's begin, shall we?**

Chapter 1

The professor yawned, staring at the pile of paperwork stacked on his desk. The university was unusually quiet, yet he found it harder to work that way. A newspaper was left discarded on the couch in his office. For once, he didn't feel like reading it anymore.

Every day was the same. Since Bill Hawks returned to office a few years back, the government had suffered scandal after scandal. There were riots going on all over Great Britain, but it was the worst in London. He was increasingly more protective of Flora to the point where he could hardly let her leave the house without Clive or Katarina with her. The three of them were the only ones at home anymore. Emmy had left a few months ago to be with her family and make sure they were safe.

He hadn't received so much as a simple email or phone call from her. The professor did hope for her safety.

Luke wasn't much better when it came to contacting him, but at least he was safe overseas. It seemed like the whole world had turned their back on Britain and pretended like it wasn't happening. As far as Layton knew, the government was probably the ones who were telling them to look the other way. He didn't bother sending a letter to his former apprentice explaining the situation. He'd heard horror stories about people who tried to the same.

There was a distinct emptiness in his home now. The power went out regularly. The blinds constantly remained closed. No longer were his halls filled with laughter and music. It was depressing and it came to the point where Flora refused to cook, Katarina's radio was always tuned to the news instead of her favorite music and Clive hardly left his room. The professor had even grown to lose his love for puzzles.

He sighed, picking up the paperwork and shoved it under his desk where he wouldn't have to look at it anymore. He lifted his hat off his head, gazing at it with sad, tired eyes.

"I miss you, Claire." His usual calm and patient voice was degraded into a shaky, longing whisper.

Screams came from outside as shots were fired. Startled, Layton put his hat back on and rushed out to the hallway. The few students still around were cowering away from the entrances, running into the library. _Not here too. _Layton thought as he rushed out to the entrance.

Flames illuminated the inky sky. A mob was gathered outside, setting fire to bushes and pushing back anyone who dare got in the way. An explosion burst through the street, sending rubble everywhere as a line of vehicles, thankfully unoccupied, ignited into ferocious flames.

_"This is madness!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: since no one has suggested anything yet, i'm going it alone with this chapter. I am looking for OCs, so if you want them to be in this, please let me know! Frozen was a big inspiration for this chapter, especially Do You Want to Build a Snowman?**

**To nostalgicCyanide: I do have a plot in mind and this is a post-apocalyptic AU.**

Chapter 2

Katarina glanced at the clock on her radio. The tinny radio broadcaster was doing his nightly rounds of reading those who were killed, injured or missing during the latest riots. She'd get a mini heart attack whenever she thought she heard a name she recognized.

"The professor hasn't come home yet." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. Glancing over, she realized that Flora was already asleep.

The young lady got up and moved to the window. Peering out through the heavy curtains, she saw people shouting at each other. There was not a single automobile driving on the usually busy street in front of their flat. She could see a group of homeless people arguing. One of them turned and looked at her right in the eye. Quickly, Katarina closed the curtains.

She moved to her bedside lamp, switching it off so that the room was in complete darkness. Letting her guard down, she relaxed and sat on her small bed. An urgent voice interrupted the calm.

"Attention! We've received reports of a riot going on at Gressenheller University! No one has been confirmed dead but several students and staff alike are reported injured. If you live in the area, stay inside and lock your doors! I repeat, stay inside and lock your doors!"

Katarina felt her blood run cold. The professor was still there, grading papers. What if he was injured? What were they supposed to do? She couldn't go and help him. She had to stay with Flora and even if she went, they would kill her within minutes. She couldn't rely on Clive either, who had taken to staying locked up in his bedroom all day.

"It's worth asking him." She murmured to herself, putting on her jacket and shoes. Heading down the halls, she stopped in front of his bedroom door. She started to knock but stopped herself. _He's not going to answer to me._

The young lady had moved into the professor's flat only weeks before when danger started to near her home. She came home from the market one day to find her shop front completely vandalized with slurs written all over the only windows that weren't broken. Her off and on relationship with Clive grew even worse when the young man decided to cut himself off from the rest of his family and friends.

"Clive?" She summoned up all her courage and knocked on his door. _He's not going to answer._

After a long pause, she knocked again. "I need you to help me." She admitted, biting her lip. What she meant to say was: "I need your help to save the professor." What she meant was "I need you."

There was a moment of nothing before the door unlocked. Clive appeared at the doorway, looking as sleep-deprived and exhausted as ever. His clothes were incredibly wrinkled and soiled, revealing how much weight he'd lost over the past few weeks and he stunk like he hadn't taken a shower in weeks, which was probably the case.

"What do you want, Katarina?" He said, his eyes and voice as sharp as daggers. It scared her the way he spoke her name now.

"There's a riot going on at Gressenheller and the professor might be in the middle of it. I need to help him." She replied, trying to seem calm and in control. "I'd rather not go alone."

Clive's hard expression faded into one of fear. "This is all my fault."

She frowned, about to protest before she realized what he was talking about. Maybe it was his fault that there was a giant, gaping hole in the middle of London that still wasn't completely repaired. Maybe it was his fault with all the political turmoil surrounding Bill Hawks's reappearance and all of the rumors surrounding it. The things that Clive did would not be so easily forgotten or resolved no matter how much time he had done in prison. But this was his chance to fix it all.

"Yes, it is your fault and there's no use sugarcoating it." She admitted while grabbing his jacket off the rusting doorknob. "Please, Clive. You wanted to atone for your crimes. Here's your chance."

His dark, bloodshot eyes locked with hers for a few moments. After a moment of suffocating silence, he took the navy blue jacket from her with trembling hands. The effects of these horrible events were easy to see in his hopeless eyes and the faint stubble that ran up his jaw.

"No one else will get hurt. Right?" He asked, looking her dead in the eyes. "Promise me that."

She bit her lip. That would be a promise guaranteed to be broken.

"Right."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Layton flinched as smoke filled the area as someone set off a smoke bomb amongst the crowd. He retreated back inside, heading to the library where the remaining staff and students were hiding. Glass shards littered the lobby, the remnants of the shattered windows destroyed by the mob's rocks.

The professor was starting to understand the reason behind the violence. The mob had nothing against the school or anyone inside. They were making an example of them. These people were angry at the government and somehow their answer to it was hurting others.

He moved into the library, looking at the other students. A few of the janitors, two or three students and the librarians were huddled in the librarian's office, away from the windows.

A crash came from the lobby. Smoke started to creep into the cramped library. The professor flinched, holding his breath.

The university was on fire.

...

The two soon left the flat, despite it being completely dark out. The power had managed to go out yet again for the second time in the past four days. It was silent between the two for most of the time. Clive was especially quiet as he walked by groups of homeless people. They glared at him and he couldn't blame them. It was his fault they were in the situation.

"All this is my fault?" He whispered, unable to look away. In a few years, he'd turn from the man who was able to trick the great professor Layton and was able to create an underground London in only three years. Now he couldn't look at any of the victims of his crimes without wanting to run and hide.

The girl beside him frowned, shaking her head. "Please stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?"

"You need to stop thinking about what you did and look straight ahead." She said in a husky tone, sounding ticked off at him. "It's not healthy."

"I think I'm far from healthy, Katarina." He snapped, starting to regain some of his sharpness. He didn't mean to hurt her, yet the words fell out anyway. She didn't seem to mind though, at least as far as he could tell.

Katarina kept her eyes ahead of her, her stride quickening a little. The young man was secretly hoping she wasn't offended by what he said. Yet soon enough, he soon realized that that wasn't why she speeded up.

Flames lit up the sky as terrified citizens ran away from the burning university. Rioters were gathered around the university, shouting all sorts of vile words in all sorts of languages.

"Oh my god…" She whispered. "We have to do something!"

Clive was unable to think. The smoke was starting to get to his head. This was all too familiar. This time though, it would be his fault if he let another one of his guardians die on him. This time, he was an adult and no one would be able to stop him.

While Katarina was still distracted, he took of his jacket and pushed away the rioters and dashed into the building.

**a/n: wow, short, but my computer was kind of blech today, so it took me a while to get Word to work. Sorry guys. I'll have a longer update tomorrow when I write more during school. If you would like to give ideas/OCs, you can either PM me or review. Either works.**


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: this update includes a slight cameo from the Mocking J's OC. I said slight. I'm still looking for OCs, whether they're rioters, government, citizens or they help the Laytons. Just pm me or review with a quick profile. Thanks!**

**Chapter 4**

He could hear Katarina calling after him, but he didn't care. Dodging a burning beam that crashed close to him, he pushed his way through the rubble and flames that licked at his face. Screams came from the library, startling Clive.

"Professor!" He shouted, starting to feel the dizzying effects of the smoke. Ash started to blur his vision, but he managed to keep his eyes open.

There was a pause that felt like an eternity before he heard a reply. "Clive! Over here, my boy!"

Clive grunted and pushed through the door, ignoring the falling embers that stung and burnt his skin. The professor was at the window, trying to soothe the others trapped inside. He ran over, not wasting a single moment.

"It always ends in fire and destruction with us." The professor said, glancing at the wall. "Doesn't it, Clive?"

"Right." He nodded, understanding what he was talking about. "What do you need me to do?"

He could've sworn he'd seen the slightest of smiles come across Layton's face. "I'm afraid the answer to this puzzle happens to be brute force. Can you do that?"

Clive stared at the crumbling wall before them. With the professor's help, it would be easy enough to at least push through it. It would hurt like hell though, even worse than getting hit by a giant pipe. Yet this time he'd save lives instead of end them.

"Of course, professor."

"Excellent." Layton nodded, gesturing to the wall that was already beginning to fall apart on its own. "One…"

Clive prepared himself, tightening his shoulders. For once, he was almost positive this wouldn't end in death. Not if he had his part in the matter.

"Two…"

He tensed up. _I'm going to die. Oh my god, I'm going to die!_

"Three!"

The two men rammed into the wall as all hell rained down on their heads.

Clive's last images before everything blurred to nothing were of fleeing people, a struggle, blood and a woman with piercing green eyes.

…

Flora stirred to the sound of a person. However, it seemed to be nothing but the radio. That was odd. Katarina was missing and she left her radio on.

"Kat?" The girl got up, peeking out into the dark, gloomy hallway. Clive's door was left ajar as well. Where was everyone?

She peeked into Clive's room. Dirty clothes and broken objects littered the ground. Pictures of him and Katarina, the professor and the rest of them were torn into shreds over and over. She stepped over a turned over chair, picking up his pictures and carefully taped them back together and set them on his bed for whenever he got back home.

"Professor?" Her adopted father wasn't in his bedroom either. Was no one home at all?

She soon discovered that the power was out when she was trying to turn on the lights. Finding a box of matches at his desk, she struck one and lit the row of candles he used especially for the increasingly more frequent power outages. On the wall was a collage of pictures and clippings from his various adventures. He'd discovered a box of them when he was cleaning out his attic and decided they'd be better off where he could see them daily. Nowadays it seemed to be the only thing to keep him going.

There were pictures of him with his friends in college and pictures of him and Claire. Newspaper clippings of his and Luke's adventures were in pristine condition and pinned onto the wall. There were more recent photos around when Clive got out of prison and everything was happy and perfect again. They were a family.

Around the bottom was a typed letter. There wasn't anything spectacularly ordinary about the contents of it, just Luke talking about his new pet cat and how he wanted to visit London soon. It was sent about two months ago.

It was the last letter before everything went crazy.

Flora frowned. It was awfully lonely without Luke or Emmy around and Clive and Katarina didn't want to do much all day. Maybe she needed to talk to someoneDetermined, she pulled out a few sheets of the professor's stationary.

_Dear Luke,_

_ I know it's been a while since we've last said anything to each other, but our family has been a bit busy lately…_


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: scared by the frequent updates? So am I. Especially since I should honestly be focusing on rewriting my story from nanowrimo. Whatever. This is helpful to me for improving. My next fanfiction might be a jeankasa au or a road trip au for something like pokemon or percy Jackson. I would like to write for some lesser fandoms though…**

**this one has the Mocking J's Oc in full.**

**Chapter 5**

"You're awake." A familiar voice said next to him. Clive slowly blinked, frowning as he saw the brunette girl in glasses sitting next to him. A few dull beams of sunlight streamed into the room, shining in his eyes.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Three days." She paused. "I was starting to get worried."

"Did they make it out?"

Katarina was silent for a long time, making his heart beat a little faster. No. They had to have gotten out. They had to have. If not, it had all been for nothing. He'd let someone else die on him.

"Not… not for long. It was horrible. They were beat upon escaping by one of the rioters."

Clive winced, feeling the burns stinging. He hadn't saved them. Just like he hadn't been able to save his parents. Just like he'd had killed thousands of people with his mobile fortress. His head ached as he

"Where are we, Kat?" He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. "The flat?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the faintest of smiles come across her features. Was it the nickname he used? Before he could confirm it, it faded away into a frown.

"We're in underground London."

He nearly choked. Underground London? It exploded! Not to mention how they would even be able to get into it without killing themselves? He was sure they hadn't gotten in through the clock shop. Cogg and Spring wouldn't let them through. That is, if they were still living there. It wasn't hard to believe that at least a few people didn't manage to evacuate somewhere safer.

He looked around the mostly empty bedroom, struggling to get up and look out the window. Sure enough, they were in his London or at least something that looked like it. Maybe a good portion of it had managed to withstand the explosion? It almost made him sick to be back here and he wanted nothing more than to be back home in his room. Not only was it how he started this whole mess, but it was how he single-handedly wasted all of his inheritance in three years.

A tall woman walked into the room, clearing her throat. "Mr. Dove?"

"That's me." Clive struggled to get up. "Where's the professor?"

"He woke up earlier, but who I really wanted to talk to was you." The woman smirked in a way that made even him uncomfortable. "Privately, of course."

Katarina stared at the woman before nodding and left. He hoped she could stay, but he was reluctant to mess with the woman. Even with what he'd been through, this woman was still able to scare him half to death.

"I'm Monique Dixon. I really admire your work." The woman smiled, holding out her hand.

He shook it with hesitation, trying his best to look her in the eyes. "I'm afraid I can't say the same, Ms. Dixon. Take that however you'd like."

She tilted her head in the slightest, her mane of unruly red hair falling over her shoulders. "And why would you say that?"

"Bad career choice. Besides killing at least a thousand people, wasting my entire inheritance and then being sent to prison for a good while, it was pretty hard to get any kind of job or get into a university."

"You've inspired a revolution." A grin spread across Monique's painted red lips. "The government's finally opened its eyes. If we could replicate it, maybe we could overthrow them…"

Clive felt his stomach churn with uneasiness. She wanted to recreate the fortress or something just as bad?

"It was a mistake." He managed through gritted teeth. "Besides, I'm not the one who built it. I didn't design most of it either. Not to even mention that it took three years to finish it."

"I'm not looking to build a fortress, Mr. Dove. I'm looking to build something much more… one use."

"Like a bomb?" He frowned.

"Exactly like a bomb."


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: prepare for more branching subplots… starting now!**

**Chapter 6**

The first thing that tipped the professor off that something was wrong was the silence. London was never silent, even in these dark times. He searched the room for his hat, touching what seemed to be a bandage wrapped around his ear.

"What is th-?" He stopped mid-sentence, tensing.

Layton could hardly hear his own voice.

_No. It can't be… _He thought, feeling terror start to seep in. He couldn't be going deaf. That was impossible.

Despite the pain, he struggled out of the bed, hobbling to the door. He grabbed a curtain rod leaning against the wall, using it as a cane to help him stand. The wall must have crushed part of his leg as well. This was worse than he thought.

He found himself in a long hallway that was a little familiar. Almost like… the hospital where they met the "future" Doctor Schrader. But how could it still be there? He'd assumed all of the underground London had been destroyed when the fortress blew up. After all, there had no reports of there being anything left. Perhaps the set-up was even more extensive than he knew.

Katarina seemed to be waiting outside of another room for something. Her eyes widened behind the dark frames of her glasses when she saw him.

"Profes-"She stopped when she saw the bandage. "I'm-"

"I know." He replied, not realizing how loud he was actually speaking. "It's unfortunate, but I'll have to persevere through it. Where's Clive?"

Seeming a bit uncomfortable, she pointed to the door. "Some woman is talking to him. I don't know what she wants though."

"Seems we'll be waiting then." The professor grunted as he leaned against the wall as pain surged through his body.

…

The scientist looked over the city with dismay. People were blaming this on Clive but Dimitri knew that wasn't right. This was Bill's fault and partially his own. For being careless scientists who didn't care who got hurt during their work.

Subject 3 bounced around the room, picking up the cigarette stubs and other trash that littered the tiny flat. "Ever thoughta cleanin' after yerself?"

He sighed, glancing at the former test experiment. "Is there any point to it?"

"Nah, but it would make it smell betta fer those 'f us with sensitive noses." The rabbit retorted, tossing the trash out the window.

He rolled his eyes, glancing at the row of pictures pinned to the walls of Claire and Bill when they were scientists. It struck him hard in his heart.

"Are you finally ready to receive the consequences of your actions, Bill?"

…

Flora finished the letter early the next morning as it took up to seven pages. Carefully, she folded the papers and squeezed them into the puzzle patterned envelopes.

"I hope he gets this." She thought aloud as she stuck it into the mailbox and crossed her fingers. "It's starting to get lonely around here…"

**a/n: poor professor. Headcanon: Dimitri totally adopted Subject 3 because he felt bad about all the tests he had to go through.**


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: okay, I'm going to REALLY try and make this update longer (at least 1,000 words.) Please review if you like this or you would like your OC join the action. I'll also add in certain characters if you would like them to be included.**

**Speaking of OCs, this update included nostalgicCyanide's OC, Cedric.**

Chapter 7

"And what do you plan to do when the bomb goes off?" Clive limped out of bed, his head pounding. This was insane and somehow he was rolled up all in. He should've known something like this would've happened.

"I'll put my head in between my knees and kiss my ass good bye. Just like you were planning to do when you finished leveling an entire city, weren't you?" She retorted, leaving him speechless for a moment.

What was he planning to when all inevitably went south? Was he prepared to die at 23 just to get his stupid revenge? He frowned, trying for the door.

"How do I get out of here?" He said, going to the door. "Is the clock shop still open?"

"You can always help us if you want." Monique replied, glancing at him. "You're an inspiration."

Clive pushed through the door, ignoring what she said. He was going to fix all of this, even if it killed him. He noticed Katarina and the professor standing outside. The professor had a bandage wrapped around his ear. That couldn't be good.

"Assuming you were conscious, would you know where an exit would be?" Clive huffed out of impatience, shooting what could be mistaken for a glare at Katarina. "It makes me nauseous to be back here."

"Well, we wouldn't want that." She smiled the faintest of smiles and somehow that tiny grin made him feel relieved. "There is a way out, I can tell you that, but you wouldn't like it."

…

"I thought ya weren't leavin' the flat for anythin'." Subject 3 remarked as the pair walked down the street towards the university. "Not even for eatin'."

Dimitri smirked, adjusting his hat. "I've suffered a mighty change of heart, 3. I need fresh air anyway."

He could hardly call the air fresh. It smelled like poison, deadly and suffocating. A depressing smog filled the once cheerful and busy streets of London. He tensed when the ever familiar smell of burnt rubble. The morning somehow

Jogging ahead of the test subject, he found the ashy remains of the Gressenheller University.

He felt sick to his stomach. "Not again…"

Subject 3 bounced beside him, sniffing the ground. The smell brought back bad memories for the rabbit was well. He continued to sniff the rubble, looking for any scent of the professor he'd met years ago. He nosed through the dirt, accidentally bumping into a young man with dark hair and shimmering emerald green eyes.

"Excuse you." The boy glanced down at him. "Do watch where you're going."

The rabbit frowned. "I resent that!"

As soon as Dimitri snapped out of his daze and followed his animal companion to the young man who seemed to be investigating the remnants of the once great university. He seemed to be at least college age.

"Who are you?"

"Cedric Stuart." He replied, looking up at him. "And you are… Dr. Stahngun? Or is it Dimitri Allen? It doesn't matter anyhow. Is this your uh… talking rabbit?"

He chuckled, glancing down at Subject 3 who was digging through the rubble. "Yes, that would be Subject 3. I think he prefers 3 though."

"Nice to know. Do you have any idea where I could find Professor Layton?"

"No, but that's the least of our problems right now." Subject 3 piped up, looking at the police officers flooding into the crumbling remains.

…

Bill Hawks stared at the mobs and rioters gathered outside the Parliament building. Their shouts grew louder and louder with each passing moment. His cold gaze roamed the disarray below.

"All this over an accident a long time ago." He remarked quietly, a hint of fear in his voice.

He stared at the man standing in the shadows against the wall. "You know what to do, don't you?"

The figure chuckled, his voice crackling with suspicious intent. "You want me to change their minds? Make them think the villain is actually the boy and your former associate. It'll be hard, I'll admit that."

Bill snorted, turning around. "Make it happen. I'm not going to fuss over how you do that. Meanwhile, I'll be in Spain. I heard it's lovely this time of the year."

"You're truly a great leader." The Prime Minister didn't bother caring about the sarcastic undertone in the figure's voice.

"Let's hope when I return, this whole matter is settled. Don't make it too messy though."

"I never am."

**a/n: please, please, PLEASE reviewed if you liked. It encourages me to continue.**


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: hey, if you liked, you should review. Please.**

** Chapter 8**

She led them through the halls, taking exceptionally quick strides that were hard for the injured two to keep up with. Clive couldn't blame her though; he didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be. The air smelled like destruction and disease and tasted toxic to him.

"You said I wouldn't like it." He mentioned, trying hard to keep up with her. "What wouldn't I like about it?"

She seemed to stiffen up. "You wouldn't like the route."

"Why is that?"

"See for yourself." She managed in a soft tone, gesturing to the broken city.

From what he could see, there were only broken and knocked over buildings, but when he looked just a wee bit closer, there was movement beneath it. People, dirtied and scrawny, darted between the rubble.

"There are _people _living down here?" He muttered in surprise. "Why?"

"There is nowhere else for them to go." Layton answered, waving slightly to a group of children hiding in an abandoned bus stop.

Clive felt himself get even more nauseous. Of course. He really couldn't escape the gut-wrenching guilt no matter what he did.

"We have to help them." He frowned, staring at the people glaring or spitting at him.

"We can't, we have t-"

"I don't care." The young man interrupted her. "I made this mess and I need to fix it. I don't care if you're coming or not."

"This isn't the-"

Before either she or the professor could stop him, the man was off, limping faster than he had before. He wouldn't rest until this was all fixed.

Unbeknownst to him, two were still on his trail, but the professor was still left behind, desperately trying to see a way out without the aid of his hearing.

…

A knock on the door snapped Flora out of the book she was reading. "That must be the professor!"

The girl got up and rushed to the door. Finally she could share the great news on how she wrote a letter to Luke or how she taped all of Clive's photos back together again. Yet when she opened the door, it was not the professor or Clive or even Katarina at the door. Instead a man dressed in black with shockingly white blonde hair was waiting at the door, rain pelting the ground.

"Can I help you?" She tilted her head.

He flashed a disarming smile. "Is a Mr. Clive Dove here?"

She shook her head. "No. He's been missing since last night. The professor and Katarina have been too…"

The smile faltered slightly as he pulled a stiff white card from his coat. He held it out to Flora in one quick and fluid motion.

"If you do happen to see him, do tell me. Ask for a Mr. Cain Obsidian and that should get you into contact with me." The man turned without another word, he turned and walked back out into the downpour.

**a/n: *shamelessly going to slip in like a gajillion scrapped characters from my original fiction* like a boss.**

**I should totes design a cover for this when I have time.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Clive weaved his ways through rubble and makeshift homes, just looking for anyone who would look him in the eye and not run from him. Yet everywhere he looked, people scurried away or hid. Footsteps followed behind him, but he ignored it.

A hand grabbed his jacket, yanking him back. "What the hell, Kat?"

Yet it wasn't her. Instead there was a small young lady behind him who immediately blocked her face when he spun around. She was skinny and covered in dirt, but she seemed even stronger than he was. Maybe a martial artist?

"Who are you?" He frowned, looking over the woman.

She moved her hands from her face. "Unimportant. You are the man who made this, right?"

"Yes. And it _is _important." He persisted, moving in closer. "I'll ask it again. Who are you?"

"Tokko Yun." The woman answered, not fazed at all. "I must ask you to come with me. That is important."

…

Katarina watched as the young man disappeared from sight. Great. Now she was lost and Clive was off to do who knows what. Sighing, she leaned against a wall. This place must have been beautiful before it was destroyed. She would never have guessed he had such an eye for detail.

Staring up into the dark sky, it was hard to see any stars. The city was quiet for once, but there was nothing more terrifying than a quiet London.

Squinting, she climbed up onto the roof of one of the buildings and sitting. She'd meant to return to home and there was nothing she'd rather do than be sleeping her safe, warm bed. Yet instead she'd managed to lose Clive and the professor in just one day and she couldn't leave without them.

The roof would have to do for now, as uncomfortable as it was. Soon, everything would be fine again. At least that was all she could hope for and right now, that was all anyone had.

…

He followed Yun as she weaved through secret tunnels and passages even he had never seen before even though he had built the city. Darkness settled around them, making it hard for him to see even two feet in front of him, not to mention the woman he was supposed to be following.

"Are we almost there?" He huffed, a bit impatient. He'd already managed to lose the one person who knew how to get out.

"You'll hear it before you see it." A faint smile spread across her lips.

"Please not be singing." He muttered to himself. "No singing homeless people for me at this hour of the night."

How completely wrong he was when he finally heard the yelling and scolding coming from the casino where he had first met the professor and his apprentice.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dimitri grimaced as the police officers shoved him into the holding cell, bracing himself as he hit the hard floor. They didn't show the slightest bit of remorse as they turned and walked away without an explanation. From the few minutes he had met Inspector Chelmey, he could tell this wasn't his handiwork. As stern and strict as the inspector was, he did have a strong sense of justice and would at least be polite enough not to shove him into the ground.

Much to his chagrin, it was not the inspector who appeared at the cell, but an intelligent-looking woman with dark hair wearing a white turtleneck and jeans. He cringed. That kind of uniform wasn't allowed in the Scotland Yard.

"Interpol. I'm Detective Kim and I presume you are Dr. Allen." Her tone was smart and no nonsense. She almost scared him.

"Call me Dimitri."

"I'm afraid I can't. It isn't professional behavior. If you haven't noticed, you're in a bit of trouble."

"I noticed." He heaved himself onto the bench.

"You have a bounty on your head issued by the Prime Minister himself."

…

Clive winced as Yun pulled him over the rubble, limping all the way. Somehow it was just occurring to him that he'd left the almost deaf professor alone, but at least he had Katarina with him. Speaking of her, she'd be angry if he ever saw her again.

"What's going on in there?" He hissed, confused on why there were people yelling and laughing inside.

"That would be my family." The small martial artist replied, squeezing between a crack and into the casino.

He took a deep breath and managed to slip through the crack only to land on his bad leg. He bit his lip, trying to ignore the searing pain that struck him through his entire body. Slowly, he managed to look up at the people staring at him.

Towards the middle of the room, a man whose hair was the color of charcoal and his eyes the color of fallen ash tended the fire. His eyes brightened in the very slightest when he saw Yun, but she didn't show any indication of noticing. Beside him was a girl of maybe 16 with pink, braided hair and tattoos running down her arms who in turn was sitting next to a boy who could be a little bit younger and seemed to be her brother. Pacing the floor, a dark-skinned man seemed too agitated to even bother noticing Clive. Far away from the fire, there was another girl who sat alone.

"This is Clive Dove. I don't think he needs an explanation." Yun said in a clear tone that made it obvious to them who was the real leader. "Now introduce yourselves."

The man by the fire was the first one to stand. His voice was harsh like scraping metal, making it obvious how much he disliked him. "Obsidian. Cab Obsidian."

The girl was just as pointed in her introduction. In that way, she reminded him of Katarina. "I'm Demis Marseille and this is my younger brother, Julien."

Clive looked around at the other two who stayed silent for the most part. The intolerance they showed towards him was deserved, but he couldn't help but wish he'd brought at least the professor along with him.

"I know it doesn't mean much, but-"

"It doesn't." Demis interrupted, much to his annoyance.

"But, I'm sorry. The fact that I didn't leave my room since I got out of prison should be evidence of that."

She glared at him for a moment before she averted her gaze to stare at the burning embers. Now that Clive got a better look, he realized that a good portion of the casino's roof had been blown off. That was a shame. Out of all the buildings in his underground London, this one happened to be his favorite.

"So what are you going to do to help?" Cab asked, nudging the coals with a stick.

"I have no idea."

…

Katarina woke up to the suffocating smell of smoke and the crackling of fire. She had to be dreaming. There was no way someone could start a fire when it was so windy. Windy enough that she was surprised she hadn't blown off the roof yet.

Yet sure enough, when she opened her eyes, flames were slowly beginning to gobble up the roof.

"You have to be kidding me." She muttered as she moved to her feet, looking for a way out. The roof was already starting to cave in under her feet.

The next roof wasn't too far away, but the building was three stories high. Definitely not good for someone with a crippling fear of heights. However, Katarina could either stay as the building collapsed in on itself or risk falling to her death. She'd rather risk death than have it be a guarantee.

"One…"

Flames started to flicker closer and closer to her, beckoning for her to fall into its fiery clutches. No, not today. There was still something out there. A future worth living for. People worth living for.

"Two…"

The roof was starting to collapse under her feet. Her heartbeat quickened, but she kept her breath steady and stayed calm. No use getting cold feet now.

"Three!" She jumped over to the other side, just as the building caved in.

Unfortunately for her, the flames moved to the next building, chomping it up its stinging jaws. A terrified squeak escaped her lips as she ran from roof to roof, trying to run from the fire that pursued her.

She shrieked as she slipped, rolling of the roof right into what looked like a giant Dumpster. Maybe if she was lucky, Clive decided not to fill them. Unfortunately, people did live in there, so she wasn't quite as lucky as she would've hoped.

On the bright side, she could have landed elsewhere and died. On the other hand, she now stunk even worse than Clive who still hadn't taken a shower.

But at least she was alive.

**a/n: feat. Afiction and Sora Kim's OCs.**


End file.
